City to begin work on beautification project in Sand Canyon

SANTA CLARITA - The city of Santa Clarita will kick-off construction Wednesday for a project to beautify 3.4 acres of land at the intersection of Sand Canyon Road and Highway 14 in Canyon Country.

Construction will begin with a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. that morning, which the public is invited to attend.

“The project is part of the city’s efforts community-wide to dramatically improve our gateways into and out of the city, and this project will result in a big impact for the thousands of commuters and residents who use and pass these on- and off-ramps daily,” said Carla Callahan, an assistant engineer with Santa Clarita.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held near the Mobil station at the nearby on-ramp to Highway 14, according to city officials.

The project includes new landscaping and construction of stone walls and natural-colored stone pavers to “add variety and visual appeal” to the area, according to Callahan.

“A great deal of planning went into the landscape design, which includes drought-tolerant, environmentally friendly plants that will thrive in the area, including sizeable oak trees, shrubs and grasses,” Callahan wrote in an email.

The project will result in some periodic lane and shoulder closures on Highway 14 and there will also be minor construction traffic in the area, according to Callahan.

The budget for the project is $2.1 million and construction is expected to be complete in early 2014.